You Might Need Me
by Aurora Antheia Raine
Summary: [JoonU] "Kiha-ssi... he... he leaked the break up to the media." Her voice was small and meek, unlike Jieun's usual self and Joon Gi mentally cursed. "I'm coming home. Wait for me."
1. Going Home

Joon Gi pulled off his sunglasses and tucked it into the collar of his shirt, comfortably sinking back into his seat with a happy sigh as his manager started the car. After spending the majority of his morning talking to Jieun on the phone, he felt like nothing could bring him down.

He closed his eyes, unable to wipe the smile off his face, as he recalled the way she sounded when she was still half asleep. The husk of her voice, the slow drawl of her words, and the soft chuckles of her laughter. It was now hard to imagine a time when she wasn't precious to him, even though it hadn't been all that long ago that things had changed between them.

Although his trip to Hong Kong wasn't a long one, he was already missing her dearly and as much as he wanted to see her face again, Joon Gi would have to wait a few more days. In a couple of hours, he would be on a plane to Los Angeles for his _Resident Evil_ premiere with Milla, Paul, and the rest of the cast.

It would be his Hollywood debut appearance for his Hollywood movie debut, an incredibly rare and important opportunity to advance his career. Joon Gi had tried to convince Jieun to go with him, but she had said it was too much, too soon for the public.

She had a point. After all, the public still had no idea she had been a single woman since July. Or that she was a taken woman again as of December. He couldn't wait until the news could be released, but, like with all things for a celebrity, timing was essential.

The car ride to the airport was quiet as Joon Gi thought of Jieun and Sang Hyun hyung concentrated on the road, but that all changed the moment they pulled into the parking lot as his manager's phone rang. He couldn't hear what Sang Hyun hyung was saying, but he caught the tone.

Startled. Serious.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was wrong.

Joon Gi waited until he hung up and their eyes met through the rearview mirror.

"Joon Gi-yah…" Sang Hyun inhaled deeply. "You should call Jieun-ssi."

He immediately straightened in his seat, alarm flashing across his face. "Why? What happened? Is Jieunie okay?"

Joon Gi watched as Sang Hyun scrubbed a hand down his face. "Her break up has just gone public…"

His mouth dropped open in shock as the color drain from his face. "What?! That's not possible…"

Quickly pulling his phone out of his pocket, Joon Gi accessed Naver's website with hasty fingers and felt his heart drop to his stomach. Splashed across Naver were the unavoidable words, spreading faster than a virus. Trending at number one. A wildfire spiraling out of control.

 _"Kiha."_

 _"IU."_

 _"Break up."_

 _"Four years."_

He scoffed at the last one. Whoever wrote that article clearly hadn't done their research. Still, that wasn't his priority right now. Did Jieun know and if so, why didn't she tell him? Was she okay?

But the shocker was at the end of the article and Joon Gi's hand curled in anger.

 _"The break up took place one week ago…"_

That was a blatant lie. He thought back to last week, to their Taiwan concert and fan meeting. To how they had guested at each other's events. To how they had courageously tested the waters with their respective fans to try and gain approval for their relationship.

Then, he thought about how that would look now in light of the false information provided to the media.

Without a second thought, he called her.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

"Oppa…," Jieun greeted softly, cautiously, when she answered.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I… Kiha-ssi… he… he leaked the break up to the media."

Her voice was small and meek, unlike Jieun's usual self and Joon Gi mentally cursed. He hated when she sounded like that, an indication that she was hurt, but attempting to hide it.

Over the course of getting to know her back when they had still been filming for _Scarlet Heart: Ryeo_ , he had often heard Jieun like that when talking on the phone. At first, he hadn't known who was on the other line, but slowly, he had realized and his heart had ached for her.

And now, so many months later, the man who did that to Jieun still had the power to strike at her one last time.

"We weren't supposed to reveal it for a few more weeks," Joon Gi pointed out. "Why did he do it?"

"I don't know," Jieun replied. "He only told me he was sorry."

Joon Gi exhaled sharply. "I'm coming home. Wait for me."

"No!" Jieun practically shouted, startling him. "You need to go to LA. You need to be at the premiere. Just go. I'm okay."

"I should be there with you," he argued. "How can I leave you to fend off the public by yourself while I'm soaking in the limelight in Hollywood?"

"It's important, oppa. You can't just cancel, especially when Milla and Paul are expecting you. You just managed to step foot into Hollywood, so naturally, you should take the next step. Don't give that up for me." Jieun sighed, the sound sending static to his end of the phone. "I will still be here after the premiere, waiting for you, but the premiere doesn't wait for anyone."

"Jieunie…"

"Please, oppa," she pleaded. "Don't make me feel guilty for this. I will be okay. I promise."

Joon Gi flattened his lips and didn't respond. There wasn't a single doubt in his mind about what to do, but he was angry. Angry at the situation. Angry that someone had decided to feed Jieun to the sharks. Angry that she was hurting again.

"Arasso, Jieunie," he finally said. "I know what to do."

He could hear her sigh of relief over the phone at his intentionally misleading statement. "Don't worry about me in LA, oppa, and make sure to rest well. I'll see you soon."

"I'm hanging up now," Joon Gi replied, pushing the end button only after Jieun had said goodbye.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he looked at Sang Hyun with fiery determination. "I'm going home. As soon as possible. The next flight out."

She would be seeing him sooner than she thought.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The hopeless romantic in me demanded this be written, however delulu it may or may not be.


	2. My Girl

Changing his flight plans at the last minute was easy when you had money and status. It was much more difficult finding a way to cancel on the _Resident Evil_ co-workers Joon Gi had promised to meet. With elbows resting on his knees, he fiddled with his phone, spinning it between his fingers as he mentally composed the message he would send.

He ignored the constant vibrations coming from his phone, indicating the wild wave of notifications from his social media accounts. After the initial scroll through of the comments, that didn't look like it would slow down any time soon, Joon Gi knew things were only going to go downhill.

His fans, Jieun's fans, and fans of _Scarlet Heart: Ryeo_ were leaving him comments to _"please date IU."_ It's not that he wasn't happy with the support because he was, but it would ultimately lead to a scandal and to a negative image of both him and Jieun to the public. After so many years of being in the industry, he knew this without a doubt.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sang Hyun asked from beside him.

Joon Gi turned to look at him. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

His hyung simply nodded and crossed his arms before leaning back in his seat. The flight change meant they had a longer wait at the airport, since it was a later departure time. They both had hours to spare. To wait. To think.

He wanted to text or call Jieun, but he didn't want her to know what he was doing until he got back to Seoul. If she knew ahead of time, she would worry endlessly and lay a lifetime of guilt upon herself. None of this was her fault to begin with, but he knew she wouldn't think of it that way.

Rolling his shoulders back to loosen his tense muscles, Joon Gi finally sent a message to Milla.

 _"Sending my deepest apologies to you and Paul. I will not be going to LA for the premiere anymore. My girl needs me right now, so I am going home."_

Her response came almost immediately, making him smile.

 _"Best wishes to you both! Please bring her with you to LA next time. Paul and I would love to show you both around."_

He sent a quick reply text of appreciation and gratitude, then pocketed his phone. Side glancing Sang Hyun, Joon Gi mimicked his posture and closed his eyes, finally allowing his haywire thoughts to take over.

Jieun's relationship had already been rocky for a number of reasons when they had first met. At the time, she often came to the filming set with a preoccupied or worn look upon her face, but had never let it affect her. Jieun's continuous display of utmost professionalism was one of the first things that had thoroughly impressed him.

When she and Kiha had made the final decision to part ways back in July, Joon Gi hadn't even known until days later when Kang Han Na had accidentally mentioned it to him. She had been so sure that he knew, Joon Gi ended up wondering why he _didn't_.

But Jieun had wanted to keep the break up a secret since it was what they had mutually decided on. Kiha didn't want it to affect his music since his band had just made a comeback after two years while Jieun didn't want it to negatively affect the drama when it began airing.

And yet, when both events came and went, they still made no moves to reveal their break up to the public. Joon Gi had asked Jieun one day out of curiosity and learned it was because Kiha hadn't wanted to risk losing out on a possible Best Band nomination or win from Seoul Music Awards.

Not too long after, Jieun revealed plans for a music comeback and the timing just didn't seem right again. Over and over, for one reason or another, both Jieun and Kiha kept pushing back the release date, trying to find the perfect timing for them both.

So what had changed? What made Kiha go back on his word? To betray Jieun like this?

Joon Gi sighed, repeatedly twisting potential scenarios and possibilities around in his mind. If he was being honest with himself, he had plenty of suspicions and none of them good. He wanted to be completely wrong though, because the one person that would get hurt the most was the one person Joon Gi would do anything to protect.

Feeling restless, Joon Gi opened his eyes and pulled out his phone again, checking both the time and his new notifications. His lips pulled flat into a grim line when, just as he had predicted, the situation had already escalated.

 _"IU cheats on Jang Kiha with Lee Joon Gi."_

 _"IU dating Lee Joon Gi?"_

 _"Lee Joon Gi causes break up of IU and Jang Kiha."_

He swore under his breath, suddenly wanting to chuck his phone across the VIP waiting area, prompting Sang Hyun to ask what was wrong.

"Hyung… this is going to be bad, isn't it?" Joon Gi rhetorically asked, showing him the latest update.

Sang Hyun frowned as he scrolled through the explosive, accusatory comments. All sorts of words were being tossed around, like _"fox"_ and _"shameless." "Cheater"_ and _"disgusting."_ There were also plenty of other offending words or phrases that made Joon Gi's blood boil.

"It could," Sang Hyun admitted. "But we all know this is groundless. Jieun-ssi and Kiha-ssi broke up long before the two of you began dating. The question is, how did the break up news turn out like this?"

"If I knew…," Joon Gi replied, jaw flexing in anger.

"Well, the more important question is, just how far and deep are your feelings for her? Is it enough for you to take the risks, to stand by Jieun-ssi's side?" Sang Hyun passed the phone back to him and stared him straight in the eyes. "You need to consider this carefully, Joon Gi-yah. No matter what your decision is, you know I will stand behind you."

Joon Gi flickered his gaze across Sang Hyun's face, taking in his expression, his question, the smallest hint of his doubt. Logically, he knew his hyung didn't ask to offend, but to get a straightforward answer, to try and help, but Joon Gi couldn't help the flash of ire that rose within him.

His eyes sparkled with fire and determination. "Jieunie is the most important person in my life. The one person I would put over my career if the situation came to it."

Joon Gi hastily stood up and glared down at Sang Hyun. "There is no room for doubt." He impatiently glanced down at his watch with a scowl, missing the proud smirk that appeared on Sang Hyun's face, then looked back up just in time for Sang Hyun's face to fall neutral again. "Come on, hyung. It's time to go."

Plastering a smile on his face, Joon Gi walked out of the waiting area and towards the crowd of waiting fans. Try as he might though, Joon Gi couldn't muster up the genuine giddiness he had felt earlier and knew his tight smile looked as fake as it really was.

The deafening screams of his fans were instantaneous the moment they spotted him and Joon Gi waved, posing for photos every couple of steps or so, thankful that he had kept his sunglasses on. He blew kisses and showed the aegyo his fans always seemed to love.

Still, his heart wasn't as invested as it usually was. He couldn't keep his mind off of Jieun and how she was doing. If she was suffering from the backlash. Or blaming herself. Or worrying about him.

Sang Hyun subtly nudged him with an elbow, whispering through his teeth that Joon Gi needed to look happier for his fans. "It looks like you're in mourning," he added as an afterthought.

Blowing a breath of air out from between his lips, Joon Gi spontaneously threw both hands up above his head, placing them side by side with his thumbs touching. Fluttering his fingers up and down, he mimicked the steady beating of a bird's wings.

"What are you doing?" Sang Hyun asked, a bit startled.

"Taking a risk," Joon Gi replied.


	3. Complete

Sang Hyun didn't speak again until they were both settled comfortably in their seats on the plane. Waiting until they were out of the flight attendant's earshot, he turned to Joon Gi and crossed his arms. "Taking a risk? Isn't it risky enough that you're canceling your attendance in LA to go home?"

Joon Gi clapped Sang Hyun's shoulder affectionately, feeling better after his sly public declaration of love. "It's okay, hyung. I know what I'm doing."

"But do you _really_?"

Joon Gi furrowed his brows. "I thought you said you would stand behind me," he reminded, traces of skepticism edging its way into his expression.

Sang Hyun grimaced. "I did, but I wasn't expecting you to throw caution to the wind like that."

"I'm not, really." Joon Gi pulled off his sunglasses and side glanced his manager. "There are other interpretations to the shadow bird, you know. Taking flight or getting ready to fly back home are just two of them."

"But not the real interpretation," Sang Hyun pointed out.

"No, but I'm the only person who can confirm what I really meant." He grinned, then winked. "You and I both know I won't say a word."

It took Sang Hyun a long heartbeat to react, but Joon Gi knew everything would be okay the moment his hyung burst out laughing. "Arasso, Joon Gi-yah. Arasso."

In his mind, Joon Gi recalled the way Jieun had smiled and laughed when they had been filming, mesmerized by the way he could form so many different shadow animals with his fingers. She had been eager to learn and had cutely tried to show him her own animals.

When he had used his shadow bird to protectively embrace hers, it had been his silent declaration that he would shelter and shield her no matter what. At the time, he thought his heart would pound its way out of his chest with how she looked, glowing and ethereal against the overcast of low lights. There was love and adoration in her eyes and the melodic ring of her laugh echoed as she acknowledged his secret message.

He remembered the way he had lost his breath, utterly consumed by his feelings for her. Joon Gi had wanted to bottle up her laughter, so he could hear it whenever he wanted and know he had been the cause of her happiness.

But now, he could hear it firsthand, a different laughter for different occasions at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes, he thought he was dreaming. Other times, he was still in disbelief. Of all the men in the world, of all the men that she knew, she had chosen him. _Him._

But just as continuously as he would tell her she was utterly beautiful in every single way, she would tell him that her heart belonged to him and only him. Without words, they knew each other's most inner fear and effortlessly silenced it.

Sang Hyun took note of the softened look upon Joon Gi's face and slowly relaxed, turning his confrontational stance away. "You've changed," he commented quietly after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "Do you know that?"

"Have I?"

"Through the years, I've never seen you go through such heights for any of your previous girlfriends."

"I guess that's why they are _ex_ -girlfriends now," Joon Gi joked, prompting Sang Hyun's laughter again.

Taking off his backwards baseball cap, Joon Gi ran his fingers through his hair and sank into his seat, turning serious. "Jieunie… She's different, hyung." His voice was wistful and tender, missing her more and more by the minute. "She makes me want to be better. To do more. But, at the same time, she makes me feel like I am… enough."

He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "That sounded so corny, right?"

Sang Hyun shook his head in disagreement. "Not when I can see proof of it."

Joon Gi closed his eyes, his heart anticipating the moment he could see Jieun again. "She just makes me feel… complete. I've never experienced that feeling before."

Both fell quiet as the plane finally took off, each lost in their own thoughts after their eventful morning.

Sang Hyun thought of fate. Of how everything happened for a reason to lead someone down a specific path. Of how life can change in the blink of an eye or how you could wake up one day and see someone differently. He thought of Joon Gi's past, where heartbreak, betrayal, and loneliness were all he had known even while he had climbed the ladder to stardom, and he thought of Joon Gi's present, where loneliness was nothing but a distant memory. Where love and happiness came hand in hand to wrap around him like a warm blanket.

He smiled, happy that Joon Gi was no longer suffering in silence and could see the evidence of that in his every move.

Joon Gi, on the other hand, thought of Jieun. He thought of his initial disregard towards her simply from the fact that she was labeled an idol. He thought of the moment he noticed her thinking habit of crouching down and drawing circles in the dirt. Then, after calling her name a handful of times with no response, his realization that she completely withdraws into herself, blocking out everything else, when she did that.

He recalled the moments she was hard on herself, harder than anyone else he had ever met, and the way she struggled to do even better when her take was already perfect. He remembered the first time he became too curious and searched for her on YouTube and the inevitable way he fell for her clear, emotional voice.

There was the startling moment he came face to face with the depth of the cruelty, scrutiny, criticism, and hatred that she dealt with on a daily basis. And the way his heart slowly began breaking every time she cried, even when it was part of the script.

He thought of her intelligence, her warm heart, her radiant smile. He thought of the first time he saw her with cropped hair and the way she answered his questioning gaze with one simple word that jump started his heart. _"Freedom."_ And the way time seemed to slow as he processed the knowledge that Jieun had finally let go and truly moved on.

The beautiful night of the SBS Drama Awards Festival. The late night phone conversations. The secret dates. The subtle Instagram posts. The Taiwan concert and fan meet. Cooking her dinner. Hearing her sing for him. Kissing her. Hugging her.

Joon Gi thought of everything, each memory and each detail clear as day. And by the time he pulled himself out of his reminiscence, he realized with a jolt that they had landed.

He was finally home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I thought I uploaded this here already, but apparently not... Sorry~ ^^;


End file.
